A team of researchers has successfully created the first artificial cell nuclei in living mouse eggs by injecting purified DNA, revealing key mechanisms behind nucleus formation. The study provides crucial insights into nuclear function and structure, with potential applications in reviving extinct animals and creating artificial life.
Researchers at Mississippi State University have discovered a new parasitic wasp species that attacks and infects adult flies, revealing a 'spectacular example of undescribed biology hidden in plain sight'. The study highlights the importance of ongoing research investment in insect biodiversity and systematics.
Researchers from Aachen University of Technology, HHU and Michigan State University create artificial microbial communities using computer models. These communities can perform specific functions, such as disease mitigation or CO2 capture, and are designed to be scalable and versatile.
The University of Illinois has been awarded $15 million from the NSF to establish a new iBioFoundry, which will integrate synthetic biology, laboratory automation, and artificial intelligence. This facility aims to advance protein and cellular engineering, promoting sustainable biomanufacturing processes.
A team led by Harvard's Ryan Flynn has discovered the mechanism of how RNA is chemically linked to N-glycans, proving the existence of glycoRNAs. This finding broadens the scope of known glycoconjugates and opens new avenues for research into glycoRNA biology.
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has announced its annual awards, recognizing outstanding scientific achievements and community contributions. The winners will give talks about their research at the society's annual meeting in April, with cash prizes ranging from $2,000 to $35,000.
A new research project aims to create a highly effective and selective biological herbicide targeting Palmer amaranth. The researchers will use synthetic biology techniques to develop RNA molecules known as Ribozymes that can influence specific gene expression, eliminating the weed through a specific infection.
Researchers from Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics found a new mechanism for shaping animal tissues through collective, programmed cell behaviors. This discovery could help understand how tissues form in animals and provides a new approach to studying tissue-shaping processes.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University propose guidelines for using interpretable machine learning methods in computational biology to tackle complex problems. The guidelines address pitfalls such as relying on a single method and cherry-picking results, emphasizing the need for multiple approaches and human-centric considerations.
Researchers discovered a pheromone receptor that controls parenting behavior in African cichlid fish. The study found that males with a specific genetic mutation picked up eggs in their mouths, taking on the role of 'mouthbrooding' dads.
The Quantitative Biology journal has published a commentary on large cellular models (LCMs), featuring influential authors and AI models such as scBERT and Geneformer. These models have revolutionized single-cell data processing and analysis, offering unprecedented insights into biological processes.
Venkatesan Sundaresan has been awarded the 2024 Wolf Prize in Agriculture for his groundbreaking research on plant reproductive biology. His work enables the production of clonal seeds from hybrid plants, simplifying crop breeding and increasing yields.
Experts at the University of Bristol have identified potential hazards in AI research for engineering biology, including inconsistencies in measurements and privacy concerns. The study proposes additional data hazard labels to describe these risks, aiming to ensure the safe development of novel biological compounds.
Researchers propose a new way to teach synthetic biology, breaking it down into five components: molecular, circuit/network, cellular, biological communities and societal. The approach incorporates ethics at each scale, with successful piloting in Northwestern University courses.
A team of researchers, including OHIO's Nate Szewczyk and students, published a comprehensive package of papers in Nature journals that transform our understanding of human space biology. The studies reveal how molecular biology and precision medicine can guide humanity into more challenging missions beyond Earth.
Researchers have found that approximately one in 40 human bone marrow cells carry massive chromosomal alterations without causing any apparent disease or abnormality. Cell samples from people over 60 tend to have higher numbers of cells with such genomic alterations, suggesting a possible connection to ageing-related diseases.
Molecular biologist John Tower proposes a new 'rule of biology,' selectively advantageous instability (SAI), which suggests that some volatility in biological components provides an advantage to cells. SAI plays a key role in evolution, allowing for genetic diversity and adaptability, and may also contribute to aging.
Lysosomes are critical for cellular degradation through endocytosis, phagocytosis, and autophagy, recycling essential components. Research has developed tools to study lysosomes in cultured cells, C. elegans, and mice, with novel assays needed to understand diverse physiological and pathological conditions.
SpatialData unifies spatial omics data from various technologies, enabling holistic analysis of cellular interactions and tissue function. The framework provides a unified representation and implements ergonomic operations for convenient processing of spatial omics data.
The Hong Kong Biodiversity Genomics Consortium has launched a project to sequence the genomes of its eukaryotic biodiversity, which is rich in species but threatened by climate change. The first five genomes have been published in GigaByte Journal to coincide with International DNA Day.
The Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Awards support 18 researchers studying age-related diseases and healthspan. The program aims to advance basic biology of aging and geroscience research.
Researchers found that accelerated aging biology in the placenta contributes to peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a rare form of pregnancy-related heart failure. The study identifies underlying aging-related biology contributing to maternal heart failure and provides evidence from both patients and animal models.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers developed an AI system capable of deciphering genomic language and understanding its functional and regulatory grammar. The Genomic Language Model (gLM) learns from highly diverse metagenomic data, providing insights into gene functions, regulation, and evolutionary relationships.
Molecular quantum computing may connect quantum biology and cognitive science through shared concepts like quantum degrees of freedom. Researchers explore potential links between charge movement, spin states, and biological processes in neurons and photosynthesis.
The roadmap outlines six themes focusing on technical capacity, products and production methods that capitalize on engineering biology to reduce carbon intensity. It aims to limit harmful anthropogenic impacts, enable adaptation to climate change and create sustainable alternatives.
This year's Discover BMB program includes top experts unveiling groundbreaking discoveries and revolutionary approaches in biochemistry and molecular biology. Advances in natural product biochemistry and biotechnology will be showcased, along with a deeper understanding of RNA biology, its role in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases,...
Research finds that biology textbooks in US high schools do not accurately describe the concepts of sex and gender, promoting essentialist views that are at odds with scientific consensus. The study suggests that these misleading descriptions can lead to gender stereotyping and discrimination.
A study of widely used US high school biology textbooks reveals they often conflate biological sex with sociocultural gender, failing to differentiate between the two. This 'essentialist' approach is inconsistent with established scientific knowledge about sex and gender.
Recent breakthroughs in spatial biology are threatened by legal disputes, hindering innovative companies from advancing new technologies and ideas. The authors urge the need for antitrust measures to prevent monopolistic behavior that could hinder patient care.
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) has announced its 2024 class of 17 new fellows, who have demonstrated immense commitment to the society. The fellows will be recognized at ASBMB's annual meeting in San Antonio in March.
A team of researchers led by Keith Hengen proposes a theory that explains both the meaning of sleep and the complexity of the brain. By tracking brain activity in sleeping rats, they found that sleep restores criticality, a state that maximizes thinking and processing.
The American Institute of Biological Sciences has selected three winners in its 2023 Faces of Biology Photo Contest. The competition aims to communicate the process of scientific research through photography and showcase biological research in various forms and settings.
The Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology will develop technologies to record the history of cells over time, revealing how changes in cells and genes influence human health and disease. This single-cell technology has the potential to revolutionize how scientists study cell biology.
Recent publications in Quantitative Biology assess AI's potential to improve life science research, including applications in medicine and bioinformatics. Researchers propose frameworks for integrating AI in digital investigation, such as Digital Life Systems, which aims to comprehensively integrate AI into system modeling.
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory used quantum biology and artificial intelligence to sharpen the CRISPR Cas9 genome editing tool, improving its efficiency on microbes. The new model revealed key features about nucleotides that enable better guide RNA selection.
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology named 2024 award winners, Tamás Balla and Margaret Phillips, who made significant contributions to biochemistry and molecular biology. The recipients will give talks at the society’s annual meeting in March.
Researchers at the Marine Biological Laboratory have devised a method to precisely alter rotifer genomes using CRISPR-Cas9, enabling the study of fundamental biology and evolution. The new approach will allow scientists to investigate various aspects of biology, including aging, DNA repair mechanisms, and mitochondrial function.
The PLOS Biology special issue explores plant engineering to combat climate change, from ancient breeding techniques to genome engineering. The collection highlights strategies for enhancing climate-resilience in crops, including microbiome manipulation and synthetic biology.
Plant Science Saturday is a free event hosted by the American Society of Plant Biologists, offering interactive discovery stations on plant biology, ecology, and conservation. The event aims to inspire excitement and curiosity about plants among families in the Savannah area.
The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) has selected five plant biologists to serve as Conference Correspondents at Plant Biology 2023. Xiaohui Li, Solène Moulin, Idowu Arinola Obisesan, Kaushik Panda, and Charlay Wood will provide summaries of the conference via a daily email newsletter.
Researchers at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology found that manipulating chloroplast size is unlikely to improve photosynthetic efficiency in crops. They created tobacco lines with enlarged and reduced chloroplasts, but field tests showed minimal effects on productivity.
A recent study published in Current Biology found that humidity plays a crucial role in attracting pollinators to plants, alongside scent. The researchers discovered that the weevil responsible for pollinating Zamia furfuracea was equally sensitive to humidity as to scent.
Researchers from Penn State and Ohio State University used structural biology, biophysics, and cell biology to understand how pioneer factors interact with nucleosomes. They found that a specific region of the protein helps it access DNA, making it accessible for proteins involved in gene expression.
The inaugural Hevolution/AFAR New Investigator Awards in Aging Biology and Geroscience Research provide three-year grants of $375,000 each to support promising early career researchers worldwide. This funding will boost support for junior faculty and speed scientific discovery on the processes of aging.
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual meeting will explore cutting-edge approaches in biochemistry and molecular biology. Leading experts will discuss the latest discoveries and advancements in fields such as AI, RNA regulation, and carbohydrates in health and disease.
A recent study published in JAMA Oncology found that Black women with early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer are more likely to experience higher mortality rates due to both social determinants of health and tumor biology. The research analyzed data from 60,137 women between 2004-2015 and discovered that these factors co...
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is hosting its annual meeting, #DiscoverBMB, featuring award lectures by high-profile speakers. The event will take place March 25-28 in Seattle, with topics including quorum sensing and developmental mechanisms in African Trypanosomes and precision oncology.
Researchers will use systems biology approach to identify biomarkers and mechanisms underlying food allergies and atopic dermatitis. The study aims to improve prevention, diagnosis, and clinical management of these conditions.
Researchers at the University Hospital Bonn have discovered a new function of CRISPR/Cas9 gene scissors, which produce small signal molecules that bind to proteins, activating an emergency response. This discovery opens up new possibilities for treating diseases using CRISPR technology.
Experts in RNA biology and drug design will gather for a two-day symposium on the state of the science that is changing preventive medicine. The event features confirmed speakers known for their advances in RNA biology and drug discovery, including mRNA vaccine success against COVID-19.
The 'Nature's Envelope' is a simple model that depicts the scope and scale of biology by compiling information about all living organisms' processes. The model plots sizes of participants and durations of processes on a logarithmic grid, revealing broad S-shaped envelope encompassing half of decadal blocks.
The American Federation for Aging Research and Hevolution Foundation announce a pilot, global research grant program supporting junior investigators in aging biology and geroscience research. The program provides up to $375,000 each for three-year awards to conduct innovative approaches in aging research.
A new federal grant will develop training for thousands of future faculty in evidence-based teaching practices, aiming to foster interest and support all STEM students. The project, led by PSU Associate Professor Erin Shortlidge, has the potential to increase student success and close the opportunity gap for marginalized students.
A WVU researcher is studying corollary discharge circuits in fruit flies to better understand how the brain integrates sensory information and coordinate movement. The goal of this research is to shed light on human disease and human performance, with potential applications for improving fighter pilot safety.
Washington University in St. Louis' Zhang lab has been awarded a $458,490 NSF grant to refine their synthetic biology platform for producing muscle fibers with improved material properties. The team plans to examine genetic changes associated with titin protein and create fibers with defined sequences to study material properties.
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has honored 14 scientists with its annual awards, recognizing their outstanding contributions to the field. The recipients will give award lectures at the society's annual meeting in March, and each award includes a cash prize, plaque, and transportation expenses.
Researchers at LMU have developed a new method called prime-seq to measure gene activity, which is up to 50 times more cost-effective than existing RNA-seq protocols. The method integrates DNA barcodes and directly extracts mRNA from cells, making it robust, validated, and accessible to molecular biology laboratories.
UNIGE researchers developed a new approach combining genetics and cell biology experiments with physical modelling to simulate protein gradients. Their innovative model can explain complex mechanisms and be adapted to other biology systems.
The Experimental Biology (EB) 2022 meeting explored diverse topics such as race and mental health in STEM, artificial intelligence in computational pathobiology and new insights at the leading edge of circadian physiology. Highlights from EB 2022 include symposia on GPCRs and G-protein signaling.
The five-year grant will be used to mentor junior scientists, leveraging City of Hope's expertise in cancer treatment and patient care. The program will provide students with hands-on experience in cell-based therapies, regulatory approval, and commercialization.